Brisbane Homes Without Power
Brisbane homes were left without power after an enormous lightning strike hit the city on Tuesday morning. Video from social media showed an enormous lightning bolt lighting up a south-east Queensland suburb and leaving thousands without access to electricity.
Later this afternoon, Brisbane may experience another round of storms with damaging winds and large hailstorms predicted.
Table of Contents
Damaged or Faulty Electrical Items
If you see exposed wires on your property, contact a certified electrician immediately. Do not attempt to touch or go near them as they could still be live and cause serious injury or even death. If a licensed electrician cannot be reached immediately, dial 000 and follow their instructions.
If your appliances, switches or light bulbs seem to flicker or dim more frequently after power returns on than usual, this could be a telltale sign that their wiring needs upgrading. As such, it would be prudent to have all electrical items tested by one of Jim’s Test and Tag professional so you can rest easy knowing they are safe.
Make your home ready for storm season by installing a safety switch, checking your fuse box regularly, and packing outside equipment into weatherproof containers. Keep a list of emergency numbers handy; in case of downed power lines in Southeast Queensland contact Energex on 13 62 62 while for all other parts of Queensland call Ergon Energy on 13 22 96 for help.
Damaged or Faulty Wiring
Faulty or damaged wiring in specific areas of your home can result in power outages, whether due to renovation errors, rodent infestation or age-related deterioration. A faulty junction box or outlet may also be responsible. If you notice sagging or bare wires in this area, turn off power immediately and don’t touch them! Instead contact a licensed electrician immediately so that this problem can be addressed as quickly as possible.
Electrical fires are among the most deadly and destructive type of housefires, often starting as slow smoldering fires which erupt unexpectedly with no warning sign or other indicator. To detect electrical fires early and reduce their risks, licensed electricians will inspect outlets and switches for discolouration or scorch marks as well as your breaker box to replace any defective breakers – this will restore power to affected areas while decreasing risk.
Damaged or Faulty Appliances
Your new place, whether in a city apartment, suburban neighborhood or country town will likely contain many electrical appliances – from heaters, air conditioners and hot water systems, kettles, hairdryers and ovens, as well as kettles and hairdryers – that rely on power for operation. When power goes out it can damage these devices because they no longer receive sufficient energy, or heat up or overheat until their thermal protectors trigger. This could spark tiny fires within appliances which ignite wallpaper, insulation or trash within your home; as well as surges that cause wires to generate excess heat that eventually spark fires which cause them to overheat further.
If you have any concerns about the safety of your appliances, reach out to your local distributor. You can find their contact details either on your AGL energy bill or online.
Damaged or Faulty Lighting
During power outages, LED lights may flicker. For best results, give the sockets a quick clean-up (ensure power has been turned off first!). If cleaning or replacing bulbs doesn’t solve your lighting issues, call in an electrician as it could be possible that one or more circuit breakers or fuse boxes has tripped due to power fluctuations around an outage start/end point.
